Importance of Javonte Green to the Bulls is now apparent

As the Chicago Bulls sit on the longest losing streak to date this season, injuries are playing a key factor in the struggles that this team is facing. The Bulls are nearly down half of their rotation among their key starters and second unit players. Among the key absences of late for the Bulls are star shooting guard Zach LaVine, point guard Lonzo Ball, shooting guard/forward Javonte Green, point guard Alex Caruso, and Derrick Jones Jr., among a couple of others.

It is obvious what the Bulls are losing in key starters/second unit players such as LaVine, Lonzo, and Caruso. But the value that other rotational players such as DJJ and Green bring to the table is more apparent now than ever before given the struggles for this team of late.

Green, in particular, is a player that does a lot of the dirty work for the Bulls that doesn’t get as much recognition as it deserves. He is an intense and scrappy one-on-one defender, tough rebounder, and smart player off-ball. Green plays good one-on-one defense and is very versatile on that end of the floor.

This type of skill set that Green brings to the table for the Bulls is not easily replaceable. And it hurts that the Bulls are getting so thin in their wing/forward rotation, making it even more difficult to replace what Green does even with multiple other players at this position.

After the potential regular season-ending wrist injury to second-year forward Patrick Williams a few months ago, Green was called upon to replace him in the starting five on most nights. Green started in a career-high 18 games before suffering the adductor injury that is currently keeping him out at this point of the regular season.

Chicago Bulls must appreciate what Javonte Green does knowing what it looks like when he’s out of the lineup

While Green’s per-game stats won’t jump off the page at you, some of the finer points of his numbers and overall efficiency do show the overall impact he’s had on this team as a whole. He’s averaged around six points per game, four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and 0.5 blocks while shooting 50 percent from the field, 36 percent from beyond the arc, and 80 percent from the free-throw line.

The production isn’t there in high volume for Green, but he’s good at what he does when called upon. That is the type of role he’s starting to excel in for the Bulls.

Green is one of only four players for the Bulls this season that has a defensive box plus/minus above zero along with steal and block percentages both above one.

It is also no coincidence that the Bulls have a much better net rating with Green on the floor compared to off. He is one of the team leaders this season in terms of on/off-court plus/minus per 100 possessions, at +8.2. That mark is also good for a career-best on/off-court plus/minus per 100 for Green.

The Bulls are also +7.6 in net rating when Green is on the court compared to off so far this season. That places him in the top three players on the team in that category this season among those that are eligible.

All in all, the two-way impact that Green has on the Bulls has become more apparent as the injuries continued to pile up for the team of late. He does a lot of the little things that often go unnoticed, but are extremely important for the team to find success in the win column night in and night out.

The Bulls do have some other wings/forwards filling in valiantly for Green right now. But the fact of the matter is that his consistency and versatility are hard to match with the guys that are left in the lineup right now (i.e. Matt Thomas, Malcolm Hill, etc.).

Green is a solid floor spacer, shooting 53 percent on corner three-point attempts. He also very rarely turns the ball over (averaging just 0.6 turnovers per game this season). Green just plays smart two-way basketball to fill a role that is difficult for second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls to find otherwise.

Following the loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on the road on Jan. 17 to round out the holiday weekend, the Bulls are sporting a record of 27-15. It looks like Green will still be out for the Bulls in their next game, when they face the division foe Cleveland Cavaliers at home on Jan. 19.